There was no more putting off the inevitable return for spending the night in San Pedro Sula; a city of almost one million residents where most work 60+ hours a week in local factories and still live in poverty.  It's no wonder the second-largest city of Honduras often captures international Spanish headlines for all the wrong reasons!  Crime, gangs, drugs, Hiv/AIDS are reportedly among the worst in Central America.  I was still repulsing from misguided culture shock-orientation upon arrival in the country, and couldn't get out quick enough!

Most travelers don't have any choice but to succumb to at least one night with flight schedules.  Information consistantly admonishes the bad, but expecting the absolute worst turned out to be distortion.  While there's no shortage to the reprehensible composite, discriminate visitors will best hold up within the downtown area.

Oddly enough, there was safety in numbers amidst the masses; kind of like being invisible though I didn't notice any other travelers.  There's little substance to attractiveness or entertainment unless you enjoy the finer follies of life -- eating, shopping, and people watching, and that's what ranks this suspect city on my Latin list of Hot Spots.

A questionable dose of reality never hurt anyone.  Sometimes, it takes a little entrapment with nothing really to do except just to stop and look around; see the world for what it is.  That's exactly what I did in sultry San Pedro Sula; especially sticking to the downtown area which carouses and extols a Daily Street Fair muddled with vendors.

Browsing breaks graciously awaited in Parque Central; San Pedro's open-air IMAX that dilated viewpoints like nothing I'd ever experienced.  Here, and the adjacent, imposing Cathedral, salvaged and soothed my arrest into just that -- a rest that was perfect for ending an elongated trip.

Make no mistake:  A place like this is not for everyone; even with the in-and-out approach.  I gravitate towards larger cities, and am used to harsher environments that most find offensive.  Fortunately, dread literally melted into diversion that was short-changed in trying to spend as little time here as possible.

Next time will be different, and yes I'm looking forward to it!  Until then, I can now proudly appreciate and wear my Fruit of the Loom undergarments; with the label that says: Hecho en Honduras.

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